Krasnodar raises alert over Black Sea oil pollution

Krasnodar Region raises alert as oil pollution reaches Black Sea coast

Emergency measures were stepped up in Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk after fuel reached the Black Sea coast. Traces of fuel oil were seen along approximately 500 meters of shoreline near Novorossiysk, while birds reportedly affected by petroleum products were found around Gelendzhik and Arkhipo-Osipovka.

Scraper SystemOctober 14, 2026, 08:49 PM

Krasnodar Region raises alert as oil pollution reaches Black Sea coast

The alert level was raised in the cities of Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk in Russia's Krasnodar Region because of oil pollution along the Black Sea coast. After fuel reached the shore, authorities decided to increase environmental monitoring and inspections for possible industrial hazards.

Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev issued an order requiring preparations for a possible emergency in the two cities. The order also instructed the region's Maritime Rescue Service unit to take measures to prevent the oil from reaching the coastline.

A view of Novorossiysk (archive)

Traces stretch for 500 meters along the Novorossiysk coast

Alexei Oderov, Novorossiysk's chief rescue official, announced that fuel oil residues had been seen along approximately 500 meters of coastline near the city. Local residents also reported pollution on the beach.

Olga Kotlyar, head of the Abrau-Dyurso rural district, called on volunteers to help municipal workers clean the beach. Birds reportedly carrying chemical burns caused by petroleum products were found in Gelendzhik and the nearby resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka.

Kondratyev linked the spill to "accidents" involving ships targeted by Ukrainian sea drones on October 6. Part of the pollution was also linked to a sea-drone attack that same day on the Aframax Rio tanker off Sochi.

Krasnodar Region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev (archive)

Oil slick reaches Anapa

Satellite images from the night of October 10 showed a wide oil slick between Arkhipo-Osipovka and Novorossiysk. Over the following two days, the slick broke into smaller patches and spread as far as Anapa. Oil traces were also detected near Novorossiysk Bay and around the offshore loading facilities of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

The Aframax Rio tanker can carry up to 100,000 metric tons of oil. However, what the tanker was carrying at the time of the attack has not been independently verified; the claim that it was fully loaded was attributed to unnamed sources.

The beach at the Arkhipo-Osipovka resort (archive)

Sochi beaches reopened on October 8

A major fire that broke out after the attack covered Sochi in black smoke and was extinguished the following day. The beaches in Sochi and the neighboring Sirius federal territory were reopened on October 8 after being closed.

Authorities announced that tests conducted at the time found no oil pollution in the area's waters. Russia's consumer protection agency said seawater samples collected from all districts of Sochi met health standards.

Krasnodar Region raises alert as oil pollution reaches Black Sea coast